Fascinators: Part 2

Finally! The last two sets of feathers arrived yesterday so I have been able to make all the fascinators at last 😀

 

So, in the Slideshow are the images of the final Head pieces for the characters of Cagebirds along side the bird that they are influenced by. Here is a brief overview of the influences behind the designs.

 

The influence for the Gloom is the Great Thick-Knee due to a line in the piece in which the character complains about her knees. The fascinator sits on the left side of the head at an angle in front of the low bun hairstyle.

The influence for the Guzzle is the Pigeon due to nature of the character and the common pigeon and their consistent eating habits. The fascinator sits on the center of the head behind the beehive fringe and in front of the pony-tail. Here, this fascianator also has a cupcake charm on the front to depict the food loving nature of this character.

The influence for the Thump is the Bearded Vulture due to both the character’s and the actual species’s temperament and violent nature. The fascinator is a traditional old man’s style flat cap which sits normally on the top of the head with the feather trailing back slightly flicked like the original bird.

The influence for the Gazer is the male Peacock through its flamboyant and show-off disposition  The fascinator sits center of the head trailing down the fore head to the bridge of the nose giving the Show-girl esc style donning real peacock feathers.

The influence for the Gossip is the Red Macaw Parrot threw its talkative nature. The fascinator is a traditional Alice band which sits normally on the top of the head with three sets of  feathers swooping down the left side of the head like the wing of  the original bird.

The influence for the Twitting is the Canary due to both the character’s and the actual species’s fragile and fearful disposition. The fascinator is a clip which attaches to the left side of the head with a large plumage of feathers, so when the character jumps or twitches in fear, the feathers twitch with her giving a further 3D element to the character.

As you may of noticed if you read previous blogs within the Costume Files, the Eagle charm on the original designs no longer seem to be on the current fascinators. This is because the Director has changed her mind about the species of the Wild One. As you may recall, in the original designs the Wild One was the Golden Eagle, an earthy coloured, free spirited, freedom loving bird and according to the RSPB website “Lives in the wild, open moorlands and mountains of Scotland, favouring islands and remote glens. Best looked for soaring high over hillsides in the Scottish Highlands” (www.rspb.org.uk) relating perfectly to the character’s yearning desire to be flying free in the wild and not strained behind the cage bars. The Director has now decided that she wants the Wild One to be… a Woodpecker.

The influence for the Wild One is now the Woodpecker  The fascinator is, like The Gossip’s, a traditional Alice Band. I originally made this when she was still and eagle, but thankfully the feathers somewhat match the feathers of this Male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in which the Director described. As part of the costume, the character will also have some sort of bright red crown either made out of feathers or hair die, this is something I will have to investigate further.

So these are the final headpieces ready for the performance.